Vinyl is forever for some music fans in the UAE as records spin

Dubai-based expats Anil Sukhia and Reyshiel Pastrana belong to vastly different generations but they are inextricably joined at the hip through a shared passion for collecting music — on vinyl.

One is a banker in his 60s, the other a video editor in her 20s. Both are among a growing tribe of music enthusiasts who have fallen in love with ‘long-playing’ records, or LPs for the uninitiated.

With retail tracker reports providing a positive insight into record sales the world over, it is a clear sign that music masterpieces like Michael Jackson’s Thriller or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon have made a strong comeback in their original avatars.

As a result, the ubiquitous record player has re-emerged in living rooms and music stores across the world, including right here in the UAE.

Start of a revolution

Where did it all begin? On June 18, 1948, there was a big buzz at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City where a much-hyped press conference was being held to announce an exciting new technology in music — the vinyl record, made from a flexible plastic material called polyvinyl chloride.

The first breakthrough was a long-playing disc featuring the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York’s recording of legendary German composer Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, over eight decades later, the wheel has come full circle for millions of music aficionados around the world who are avid collectors. The popularity that these records enjoyed during the 50s, 60s, and 70s was halted by the emergence of the Sony Walkman which was based on magnetic cassette tape technology.

CDs would evolve into digital music, which made way for streaming platforms. But vinyl has struck back in full force.

The comeback

Records reveal that 2009 was a pivotal year for vinyl music fans.

While a vast majority of enthusiasts were deeply engrossed in digital music, there were a few who were returning to record stores in search of turntables and vinyl records. This was heartening news, as for the first time since 1984, the sales of LPs rose dramatically reaching a growth of close to 90 per cent.

The trend caught on like wildfire and gathered momentum over the years.

Vinyl clubs began cropping up in all major cities, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, with its members passionately building up their record collections.

By 2018, vinyl had once again firmly established itself with estimated sales of close to 10 million across the globe.

It’s not difficult to assess the reasons behind the meteoric resurgence of vinyl records. Most fans believed that their favourite music — be it rock, pop, jazz or blues — sounded better on vinyl, which was the format for which the recording was originally made.

Many audiophiles eschewed the perfection that CDs boasted, preferring to stay with the flaws or imperfections, if there were any, that vinyl had.

Digital music that is devoured by today’s millennials may be cool, but even teenagers are taking to vinyl and digging deep into family attics or storehouses in search of landmark albums like Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ or Charles Mingus’ ‘Ah Um.’

Hear it from the fans

Anil, an enthusiastic vinyl collector, has spent the best years of his life building his collection which spans a range of genres. Here, he talks of why he prefers the format above all others:

“I first fell in love with music as an eight-year-old when I heard the Rolling Stones ‘Beggars Banquet’ on an old audio cassette. I was hooked,” says Anil. “I’ve been collecting vinyl from the 70s: The Beatles, Paul Butterfield, the Allman Brothers Band, Charles Mingus, Nat King Cole... You name it, I probably have it.

“Vinyl gives you a very warm sound, it’s the best way to experience music — the way it was made. It’s much better than a CD," he adds. "I am constantly buying discs, box sets, anthologies, and collector's editions.”

Reyshiel, who started building her own record collection recently, describes the vinyl experience as ‘sheer magic'.

“You get to hold it, touch it, see it, and feel it even before you play a record. It is a tangible form of art,” she says. “Just admiring the beauty of a vinyl record offers a unique kind of attachment. Being in the digital era, where everything is just a click away, here I am, growing my love for vinyl!”

Listen to Yassine Hakimi, manager at Raw Music store at DIFC, talk about why he and his brother decided to start a vinyl store for audiophiles in Dubai:

Purists are of the opinion that vinyls sound far more superior than compact discs. “They are much more organic, warm and natural-sounding than digitally-enhanced CDs. The reproduction is true to life, just the way it’s recorded in the studios on an 8-track machine,” says Mohan P, a Dubai-based vinyl enthusiast.